


Concrete Mixtape

by KrisseyCrystal (IceCreAMS)



Series: Fluff Bingo [17]
Category: A Saga of Light and Dark - T. J. Chamberlain
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Fluff Bingo!, Gossip, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Multi, POV Outsider, all the chars i added are old and based off the muses so, but they are your neighborhood gossiping old ladies so there's a certain charm to them, omg they were roommates, they prbly won't appear again, they were roommates...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24199930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceCreAMS/pseuds/KrisseyCrystal
Summary: Thalia turns her gaze to the sidewalk Emmet disappeared across. “He’s over all the time. I can’t tell who’s invitin’ who. Maybe I’m just gettin’ old and not as good at callin’ it as I used to be.”“You were never good at ‘calling it,’” Urania huffs.“All right, then let’s hear what you think, Nia.” Thalia turns and leans back against the iron fence. The cool spring morning buffers what would normally be searing against her skin after baking under the harsh sun: the twisting spokes of iron don’t scald her freckled shoulder blades. “If you know everything. Who’s the lucky girl? Ada or Nerissa?”
Relationships: Ada Archer/Emmet Pomlei/Nerissa Smith
Series: Fluff Bingo [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1655521
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6
Collections: Writing Squad Fluff Bingo





	Concrete Mixtape

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silver_fish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_fish/gifts).



“Oh! There he goes again.” Calliope shakes her head and tsks as the firehouse red front door of 3123 Ash Tree Lane clangs shut. A wide smile curls her lips; she pushes her rocking chair back as far as she dares. “Always leaving skidmarks out of the complex, that one. And doesn’t even bother to telling us ladies _hello_ once in a while as he goes.”

Polly looks up from her book in time to see Emmet’s ears burn that adorable, familiar red. He quickly ducks his head to turtle himself between his bunched shoulders and throws up a hand over his shoulder. 

“ _Bye,_ Callie!” he calls.

Thalia laughs after spitting a pit over the iron-wrought porch fence. “‘Ey! What about the rest of us? What are we, chopped liver?”

Emmet picks up his pace scurrying down the sidewalk. “I don’t have time! I’m gonna be fucking late for class!”

Urania tsks and shakes her head. When Thalia laughs harder, she rolls up her newspaper and swats her sister’s knee. “You’re teaching him that foul language, aren’t you?”

“Wasn’t me!” Thalia holds up both weathered hands up to the level of her ears, one clutching a half-opened can and the other pinching an unpitted kalamata olive between her forefinger and thumb. The overturned plastic bucket underneath her squeaks when she shifts her weight forward. “Ever since I first met ‘im, he’s had that awful sailor’s mouth. Same with those other two!” 

Urania sniffs. She watches her sister’s teeth bite into the olive and pry the pit free. “Ada would never.”

Thalia scoffs.

Polly lifts her head and lowers her paperback to her lap. She rocks in her chair lazily. “They’re a curious lot, aren’t they?” she asks, voice soft.

“You’re tellin’ me.” Thalia turns her gaze to the sidewalk Emmet disappeared across. “He’s over all the time. I can’t tell who’s invitin’ who. Maybe I’m just gettin’ old and not as good at callin’ it as I used to be.”

“You were never good at ‘calling it,’” Urania huffs.

“All right, then let’s hear what _you_ think, Nia.” Thalia turns and leans back against the iron fence. The cool spring morning buffers what would normally be searing against her skin after baking under the harsh sun: the twisting spokes of iron don’t scald her freckled shoulder blades. “If you know everything. Who’s the lucky girl? Ada or Nerissa?”

“Ada, obviously.”

Thalia tilts her head back and crows with laughter. 

Polly smiles. “I think it’s Nerissa.”

“Well, did you hear what Mel said the other day? She heard ‘em all talkin’ about the rates of apartments closer to campus, and--”

A rapid _thump, thump, thump, thump_ cuts off Calliope’s words as the front door swings open again. Nerissa has one barefoot outside the threshold, the other inside, her arm oddly wrapped around her chest as she pinched her broken-zipper jacket closed at her collarbone. “Emmet! Wait--damn it.” Her gaze snaps down to the four women huddled on the front porch. She overlooks the smug gaze Thalia sends Urania. “Ugh. He’s already gone, isn’t he?”

“Afraid so, dearie,” Calliope calls and rocks. Her gaze follows the girl’s form up and down. “It’s Thursday. Don’t you have some of those fancy college classes of your own to attend, too?”

“Not until 10:30.” Nerissa huffs. Her brown cheeks puff out and Urania’s gaze follows the line of her neck to the girl’s shoulders. With a shake of her head, thick, dark hair swinging around her shoulders, Nerissa steps back into the building. “ _Damn_ it!”

The red front door of 3123 Ash Tree Lane swings shut with another loud clang.

Polly’s eyes are round as she looks to Calliope. “Well! I hope nothing’s wrong.”

Urania scoffs and adjusts her reading glasses. She bows her head to her crossword puzzle. “What, you didn’t notice?”

“Notice what?”

“Poor girl can’t find her bra.”

Polly’s lined face burns red. 

Thalia cackles, teeth pinched around another olive pit. She clangs her now-empty can against the iron bars behind her in mimicry of applause. “Well, that’s good enough for me! Nerissa it is, then! Hot dog!”

Calliope rocks, a wide smile on her face.

Urania glances at her out of the corner of her eye. “I know that look.”

“What look?”

“Heavens-to-Betsy, darlin’, but dumb doesn’t suit you.”

“Well, if you were listenin’ to me,” Calliope dips her head, “I was _going_ to say Mel heard ‘em talkin’ about the rates of apartments closer to campus. Those three’re in all sorts of financial straights, ‘cuz Nerissa’s hopin’ to transfer outta downtown and get accepted into one of those posh universities, like one of the ones upstate, y’know? And she could do it. She’s got the brains.”

“She’s smarter than our whole complex put together,” Thalia murmurs, a touch of fondness in her voice as she picks at the lid of her next can of kalamata olives.

Calliope waves a hand. “Anyway, to make a long story short, they’re thinkin’ about renewin’ their lease. They wanna save up funds to get ‘er there in time for ‘er graduate studies. Or somethin’ like that.”

Thalia whistles. 

Urania huffs. “You said ‘they.’”

Polly’s head snaps to Calliope’s the instant she slowly nods with a wide grin.

“Oh my god…” she breathes. “They’re roommates.”

“They’re roommates.” Calliope nods sagely.

Thalia grins wide around her next olive, one hand caught in her second can and having difficulties trying to tug free. “So all of us were wrong, then! Goddamn! That means all _three_ of ‘em are fu--”

Urania’s rolled-up newspaper smacks hard against the side of her head before she can finish her sentence.

**Author's Note:**

> MORE FLUFF BINGO SHENANIGANS i love fluff bingo man this thing is so, so much fun. 
> 
> So my AMAZINGLY TALENTED friend Taylo requested the triple-dynamo threat to my heart that's Emmet/Ada/Nerissa (their OC's) with the hilarious prompt "OMG they were roommates." Naturally, because I love Outsider POV, I had to give it this kind of "these three and their romantic entanglements are the talk of the apartment complex" spin. so that's what we have here. Also, where's Poseidon? in this take on the modern-day au, prbly with Nerissa's parents?? prbly
> 
> i just really wanted to catch the vibe of them living together and making do as much as they can as they get through the expensive monster that is college and chase their dreams
> 
> thanks for reading!!


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